To the Stories That Shouldn't End
by Not-Terrestrial
Summary: My Secret Santa gift to Jan! I didn't know exactly what you wanted so I chose to surprise you instead. I hope you and everyone else enjoys it :)


**So this is for the Secret Santa exchange on FB. I'm late but I hope everyone like it! Especially you Jan :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TBL. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.**

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><p><strong>To the Stories That Shouldn't End<strong>

"Well Lizzie what do you think?"

Liz turned around and looked Red up and down taking in every inch of him from head to toe. It wasn't every day she got to see him in a tux, but when he did wear them, he wore the hell out of them. Today wasn't any different. His arms were open for her inspection and she eyed approvingly of his color choice for cummerbund and bow tie. A deep shade of Red, like wine. The whole outfit was tailored to his very form and hugged him in a the right places. He looked damn fine.

"This will do fine I guess, is that the color Samar is wearing tonight?" Her voice was well controlled and didn't betray what she really felt about tonight's affair. Jealousy was not something she used to feeling. She fiddled with her coat buttons as Red retreated back to the dressing room he had come from.

"Yes, we chose her dress this morning actually. I haven't seen a piece like that in a while."

"Well it's too bad I won't get to see it tonight." His rustling clothes stopped and she knew the question was coming even before he asked.

"What do you mean Lizzie?" His voice held an edge to it, and edge she hadn't heard in a while. This was it, the reason she accompanied him here in the first place. She walked around the small room and stopped in front of a floor to ceiling mirror and looked at herself as she spoke.

"I'm leaving Red. Tonight." It felt like the words echoed around the walls of the room and then she heard his door open and out marched Red in nothing but his socks, boxers, and a white undershirt. She looked at him through the mirror and his face was so readable. It was angry, then confused, then angry again.

"You can't leave." He said it with conviction and it was demanding and her gut wanted to tell him she didn't want to but instead she stayed quiet. "Is this some sort of joke?" He tilted his head to the side asking her if she was serious. Praying internally that she wasn't. "Harold won't allow it. You cannot just walk away fro-"

"_Harold _already has Red. Why do you think I didn't accept your offer to go with you tonight? I've been planning for weeks. It's done. It's over. No more Blacklist."

That was it. The truth of the past few days wasn't weighing in on them like the unspoken elephant in the room anymore. That was the reason for tonight's celebration. Red's immunity came through the moment the last blacklister was caught. He was a free man and the task force was being awarded for their bravery and dedication to bringing down the worst of mankind. Those fallen over the last two years would be honored. Elizabeth Keen and Raymond Reddington were to be the guests of honor. None of it would have been possible without their cooperation.

"So that's it?" He leaned back slightly and threw his arms open dramatically. "Frankly I pictured this the other way around sweetheart. I thought I was going to leave in the end and leave everyone hanging. Seems like I was wrong."

"Well what did you expect Red? Huh? Was it supposed to be a happy ending? Does the hero get girl? Do I go into the sunset with some man and you board your jet and travel the world?" She was angry at his words. Furious actually. She walked up to him and looked him accusingly in the eyes. "You succeeded Red. You made me famous. We made a great team. And now you are a free man. That is the end of the story. What surprises me is that we actually made it to the end in one piece, not in a coffin or somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. I don't want to stick around when someone else does either."

She turned back around and made her way to the door, tears running down her cheeks in familiar streams. She had done a lot of crying these past few days. Leaving Red, the one constant in her life, the one man who held her heart, was by far the hardest thing she would ever do. She stopped scolding herself weeks ago for letting this get personal and out of hand. This is why she had to leave. She had gotten too close and now that he didn't need her, she didn't want to be the one left behind in a pile of feelings and emotions.

"This story is not done Lizzie." She stopped at his words and slowly turned around just as he was reaching her. Without preamble or warning he pulled her towards him and settled his lips on hers. There was a second of hesitation before she grabbed a fistful of shirt and kissed him back. His lips were soft and pleading and it felt so right being there in his arms. When his tongue gently asked for entrance into her mouth she couldn't help but want to taste him. It was the low rumble that escaped his chest that brought her back to earth. She pulled away in shock at what she had done and slapped him hard across his face.

"How could you?" She wasn't asking how dare he kiss her. She was asking why was he trying to manipulate her into not leaving. That's what this must be, just another ploy to get her to stay. "All this time and you choose now to do that? You know what Red? Screw you."

Without letting him respond she marched out of the dressing room with angry tears forming in her eyes. She had to leave now because if he pulled a stunt like that again, she wasn't sure she had the strength to leave. Red stood there in his socks, boxers, and undershirt with a knowing look in his face.

/

**THEBLACKLIST**

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Choosing where she wanted to go was a hard decision. She wanted to go everywhere and yet nowhere as well. She wanted to climb mountains and drive across African plains. She wanted to see the outback and swim by the Great Coral Reef. Nearly losing your life various times makes you want to value and cherish it even more.

"Flight 5531 is now boarding." The announcement led her to stand and she made her way with her lone carry on to the entrance. This was it. The moment she would start new and start fresh. She handed the flight attendant her ticket and waited for her to scan it. Once she was handed it back she started walking towards the door. It was then that she heard it.

"LIZZIE!" That voice. It was behind her echoing across the long airport halls and she wanted to get in and tell the attendants to close the doors and lock them and not let him in or her out. Instead she turned around and watched as Red dressed in THAT tuxedo run down the hall with a black duffel bag in one hand. He was running to her. He slowed down gradually and stopped right in front of her huffing and puffing. A smile threatened to escape her lips at the sight of him disheveled, for her.

"Red what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I am doing Lizzie?" He pulled various tickets from his inner jacket pocket and searched through them till he found the one he was looking for. "I am coming with you."

"You bought all those tickets?" Her smile couldn't be hidden anymore.

"I didn't know which flight you were boarding." He handed his ticket in and the silence between them became awkward.

"Red you can-"

"Yes I can Lizzie. I told you our story isn't finished. It can actually start right here right now. Or end right here right now. You, me, and a flight to Thun, Switzerland," He looked out into the windows and smiled at the lazy sunset that hung in the skies. "We fly away into the sunset."

When he looked at her expectantly she knew he was telling the truth. He now could drop everything and leave and he wanted to do just that for her.

She dropped her bag and flung into his arms crashing her lips to his in a joyful gesture she didn't realize she had. He too dropped his bag and picked her up to spin her around. The applause around them broke them from their little bubble and she managed to see one flight attendant hand another her tissue.

"I guess the hero does get the girl then." She commented as he picked up both their bags. He wrapped his arm around her and led them through the doors into the connecting hall to the plane.

"No sweetheart, the hero in this story gets the boy."

And they flew away into the sunset.


End file.
